With the economy in crisis, eating well may seem like a luxury. But when we looked back over the hundreds of recipes we published in our You & Taste section this year, we took heart: Among them were many stars that could be made without breaking the bank. We've chosen eight to share with you once more, including an easy orange-glazed pork; a simple panzanella that will use up all your garden vegetables and stale bread; a celebratory but simple chocolate souffle; and Maryland fried chicken unexpectedly flavored with Old Bay seasoning.
pistachio-rose water cookies
These dainty, fragrant cookies from "Veganomicon," by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero, wowed us during testing for a review of vegan cookbooks last January. They've got no dairy and no eggs, but lots of flavor.
(makes 32 cookies)
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
3 tablespoons rice milk or soy milk
1 tablespoon rose water (see note)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 cup shelled pistachios, coarsely chopped
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease two cookie sheets with shortening, or spray with cooking spray.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, oil, rice milk, rose water, vanilla extract, lime juice and zest. Add the cornstarch and whisk until dissolved. Add the flour, baking powder, salt and cardamom. Mix well.
Roll the dough into balls about 2 teaspoons in size (a bit smaller than a walnut) and dip the tops into the chopped pistachios. Press pistachios into the ball to flatten each cookie slightly.
Place the cookies, nut side up, about 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. You should be able to fit 16 on a standard baking sheet.
Bake for 13 minutes. The cookies will be soft, but will firm up as they cool. Remove from the oven and let cool on the cookie sheets for 5 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Note:: We found rose water at Eddie's of Roland Park.
From "Veganomicon," by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero
Per cookie: : 103 calories, 1 gram protein, 4 grams fat, trace saturated fat, 15 grams carbohydrate, trace fiber, 0 milligrams cholesterol, 48 milligrams sodium
individual chocolate souffles
